


Chickens Never Prosper

by BrenanaBread



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Making Out, Overuse of italics, Remix, Think Outside the Love Square Month, and i totally look up to her because she's so talented, breeeliss is wonderful, rarepair, we're all burning in the fires of rarepair hell now indulge me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 11:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11289513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrenanaBread/pseuds/BrenanaBread
Summary: Alix and Chloé spend some quality time together sizing each other up and making ruthless challenges. All for the sake of not being called a chicken...(A TOTLS Remix)





	Chickens Never Prosper

**Author's Note:**

  * For [breeeliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/breeeliss/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Chicken](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7870375) by [breeeliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/breeeliss/pseuds/breeeliss). 



> So, I am a huuuuge fan of breeeliss. I was both elated and terrified to get the opportunity to remix one of her works the way you get amazingly excited to meet your idol and then become disgustingly scared you might throw up on their shoes. Oh? You’ve never had that problem before? My anxiety is not a universal trait among all human beings on this earth? Go figure. 
> 
> breeeliss is an absolutely wonderful writer. Please send her all the love for the original fic.

Alix couldn’t help but wonder what deity she had pissed off so intensely it would force her into a building alone, save for Chloé Bourgeois. It seemed clear to her that no amount of natural randomness or entropy could create the circumstances necessary for her to be corralled in her current coop. She was convinced outside forces were at play.

When the first water droplets quietly slicked the sidewalks, Alix payed no mind. It seemed fitting to end her day with rain. Since early that morning, life was pitted against her. Her favorite pair of skates had taken a beating when she fell on the way to school, narrowly avoiding hitting a car and a stroller. She accidentally left her homework on her bed and was forced to sit through a grouchy lecture on responsibility from Madame Mendeleiev. The day only got worse when the class was divided into pairs for a project. They were assigned a Parisian historical monument and expected to visit it and write a paper about its “significance to French culture” and Alix _could not_ have cared less. Having been partnered with Kim, Alix assumed there would be little work done, but at least the afternoon wouldn't be wasted with such a boring activity. But when their goofing off sent Mylène spiraling into Mademoiselle Bustier as she reprimanded Marinette and Alya for passing notes in class, the two were split apart. Kim was reassigned to Sabrina, which left _Paris's Darling_ for Alix.

_Fantastic._

They were tasked with researching the Sainte-Chapelle, and after spending all afternoon in it, Alix was sure of three things  
1) The crown of thorns has an underwhelming number of thorns for her tastes  
2) No one has ever cared less about religion and history than she does  
3) *Amendment to #2: Except for Chloé Bourgeois, who spent the majority of her breath mooning over her dead phone and complaining about what kind of _ungodly_ establishment the Sainte-Chapelle must be for not having outlets lining the walls

Despite constant assurances that she's far more cultured than anyone in class, Chloé did nothing to aid Alix in their research and the skater girl was quickly losing her mind.

Scrawling the last of her notes so hastily she definitely wouldn't be able to read her handwriting tomorrow, Alix shot Chloé a glare and announced her plan to walk home.

“You're _walking_ home?” Chloé asked, incredulous. “You can't be serious.”

Alix paused, tossing a glance over her shoulder as she walked past Chloé. “As a heart attack.”

Chloé stuck out a hip, straightening her arm out to Alix, palm up and fingers flexing. “Then you should at least give me your phone.”

Turning around to fully face her partner, Alix asked lazily “And why would I do that?” 

“Haven't you been listening to me at all? My _phone_ is dead! I can't call anyone to pick me up!” Though she didn't move, her tone was as indignant as if she'd stomped her foot.

“Sucks.” Alix continued her walk towards the entrance of the building.

Chloé followed her to the door. “Stop being ridiculous. I just need to make a call. You should be jumping at the opportunity to help me.”

“I don't even have my phone. Kim and I made a bet two days ago, and I lost,” Alix grumbled. “But it's not a big deal since some of us don't _live_ on our phones,” she shot a pointed look at Chloé. 

Taking a step out into the growing darkness, Alix cursed herself for letting it get so late. Where visible, the sky was a deep navy and heavy, dark rainclouds cast all of Paris in a dim grey hue.

“Ugh, why am I being punished for socializing?” Chloé griped to herself.

Without sending another word in the blonde's direction, Alix pulled her cap tightly to her head and started walking.

“You can't just leave me here!” Chloé called.

“No one's stopping you from following me.”

“Clearly the sky is,” Chloé replied sharply. “It's pouring! And it's so _dark_.”

“It's just a little rain,” Alix tossed over her shoulder.

“There's no way anyone in their right mind would consider this a _little_ rain.”

Looking around, Alix silently conceded Chloé's point. It was raining hard enough that only the spastic flickering of streetlamps shone through the haze of the downpour.

But she needed to get home. Though her dad didn't have a fixed schedule for when he would get home after work, and even with his often scatterbrained tendencies, she knew he would be worried about her being out this late without calling him or Jalil. 

Her resolve strengthened, and she walked with a confidence she didn't fully feel. “I'm going home, Chloé. You should too.” 

With her vision compromised from the rain, she stepped directly into a deep puddle. The water immediately soaked through her shoes, coating her feet in a wet, cold prison. She bit back a groan and continued forward, squinting at the ground in vain.

Realizing that being alone with no way of comfortably getting home was her only alternative, Chloé grit her teeth and jumped out into the rain. Her steps were quick as she tried to catch up with Alix, who hadn't slowed at all.

The pair sped through the streets without glancing at each other, Alix invested in searching for signs they were headed in the right direction, and Chloé seething at the rain ruining her hair. It pounded against her so fiercely, her sunglasses were almost knocked off her head. 

The girls' silence would have been uncomfortable if the rain wasn't so deafening.

Shortly into their walk, the sky lit up blindingly, illuminating the path in front of them briefly. A large building stood off to the side, ominous in its imposing and shadowed stature. The roaring sound of thunder bounced around the atmosphere.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” Chloé grumbled, exasperated. She turned to her short companion and flicked up an eyebrow. “Can we find a place to take cover _now_? Or is lightning not enough for big, strong Alix?”

Alix almost wanted to continue into the darkness, even with the threat of getting struck by lightning, just to get rid of the condescending look emboldened on Chloé's face. But, Alix was sensible and could at least sometimes hold herself in check out of respect for her own safety.

“We're right by Notre Dame,” she said, trying to keep her tone in check. “We can step inside for a few minutes until the storm passes.”

“Brilliant.”

Darting off to the right, not bothering to check if Chloé could see her, Alix dashed off to the church.

The pair ducked inside, and Alix instantly took off her cap and shook her hair wildly, throwing off any loose water droplets.

Chloé held up her hands and made a face of pure disgust. “Could you give me some warning next time! God, what are you, a _dog_?”

Alix ignored her and dropped into a pew, leaning back along the wooden seats and refusing to speak to her unfortunate companion.

The torrential downpour was muted by the building surrounding them, making their silence obvious and unshakeable.

Shivering from both the cold the rain provided and the lack of heat in the atmosphere, Alix decided she wouldn't be able to last long without doing _something_.

“Wanna play a game?” she asked, twisting in her seat to make eye contact with the blonde.

“As if,” Chloé scoffed.

“Fine. We can both just sit here bored for hours. Your call.”

Crossing her arms, Chloé glanced away from Alix with a huff. “I guarantee you there's no game you could come up with that I'd be interested in playing. I'm from a more...sophisticated environment than you're used to.”

“Chicken.”

Chloé flicked her sopping wet ponytail off her shoulder and glared at Alix. “Just because I don't have the patience for something so childish doesn't mean I'm scared.”

“No,” Alix grinned. “That's the game. Chicken. Let's play.”

“Really? That's the game you come up with? Obviously, I'm not going to play Chicken.”

Alix stood up from her pew and tilted her head to the side. She bent her arms at her elbows and brought them up to her armpits, fluttering them up and down as makeshift wings. She walked towards Chloé clucking like a chicken, taking exaggerated steps and bobbing her head.

“I am not a chicken for not wanting to play your dumb game!” Chloé yelled.

“I think that's exactly what a chicken would say,” Alix baited.

Chloé stood her ground for another 15 seconds, face turning red and chest puffing out.

“I mean, we all know how you are in akuma attacks. You're the first to run for cover. Very chicken-like,” Alix added, the final nail in Chloé's coffin.

“Fine! We can play Chicken!” Chloé's arms burst from their place crossed over her chest, flailing wildly in her exasperation. “I don't even know how you want to go about that. There's not anything intimidating to do inside a _church_.”

“See, that's where you're wrong.” Alix's eyes flicked around the large space, catching on the candles lit on the far wall. An idea sparked in her mind and she grinned wickedly. “In fact, I already have our first round picked out.”

Chloé groaned.

Leaping towards the candles, Alix called out for Chloé to follow her.

Taking out two candles from the stand, Alix offered one to Chloé, which she didn't hesitate to accept. The heat rubbed into her fingertips, and Chloé brought the candle closer to her chest, hoping its proximity would warm her still-soaked body.

“We're going to lean our heads over the flame. First one to move away in fear of it catching her hair is chicken,” Alix stated.

“That's really stupid,” Chloé mumbled.

Alix smirked. “If it's so stupid, you'll have no problem winning.”

Chloé scoffed in response, but did nothing else to refuse. 

Taking the blonde's silence as tacit acceptance, Alix continued. “We'll start with the flame this far away from the bottom of our hair,” she demonstrated the distance on herself with the candle slightly below her collarbone “and then we'll raise the candles until someone flinches. Sound fair?”

Chloé gave an eye roll but nodded to show her approval. She placed the candle much farther down on her body, so the distance between the flame and her hair was the same as the distance Alix had shown. She gave Alix a pointed look.

The pink-haired girl grinned. “Ready? We'll start moving it slowly on three. One. Two. Three.”

The flames flickered at the sudden movement, bending as the air pressed against them. The girls moved in tandem, eyes constantly moving to check the speed of their opponent while also making sure the candle wasn't falling to the side or catching on clothing.

The distance halved before the pair slightly slowed their movements. Warm, soft light danced on chins, highlighted tips of noses, and swept across cheeks. Alix's eyes were usually such a deep blue that her irises were constantly swallowed by her pupils. But with the flame darting closer to her face, her eyes shone brighter than Chloé had ever seen. Mischievous dark specs flecked randomly throughout the blue, tempting Chloé to fall into their deep embrace.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she glanced back towards her own candle. Wispy golden strands of her hair that had already dried caught in the light, billowing carelessly in all directions. Though most of her hair still clung to itself in a damp clump of ponytail, Chloé nervously eyed how close the fire came to those wild strands.

Chloé shifted her weight from one foot to another, and Alix knew the blonde wouldn't last much longer.  
Smothering a smirk, Alix continued lifting the candle, trying to ignore the heat subtly pressing against the underside of her jaw.

Chloé lasted another second before pulling the flame away in defeat. She couldn't ruin her hair like that. It had already taken enough of a beating from the rain.

Alix pumped her first in triumph and jumped in the air. She took a second away from gloating to place her candle back on the wall.

Before Alix could start clucking, Chloé argued “That wasn't a fair test and you know it.”

Alix laughed but humored the girl. “Oh? And how was it unfair?”

“Everyone knows I care more about my hair than you do! Obviously, I was going to stop that candle from destroying it. It's not a crime to take pride in your appearance, you know. ”

“You did agree to it,” Alix pointed out.

Chloé huffed indignantly.

“Whatever. It's still pouring anyway. We might as well do a few more rounds. Unless that loss totally freaked you out,” Alix waggled her eyebrows tauntingly.

“I am not backing down.” Chloé stood her ground, glaring defiantly at Alix. “But I _am_ picking the next challenge.”

“Be my guest.”

Chloé eyed the space, walking through the cathedral with practiced ease. She paused for a moment, staring down the main isle, cocking her hip as she contemplated her next move.

“Planks,” she said, nodding her head definitively. “We're doing planks. On the pews. Our hands on the ground, feet up on the side of the bench. A real workout.”

Alix looked at her like she was crazy. “You want to do a challenge that tests our strength? I thought you were playing to win this time,” Alix mocked.

Chloé smirked. “You think I don't have to work for a body like this? Please, I have way more core strength than you.”

Alix shook her head in disbelief. “Chloé, I'm an actual athlete. You're just skinny. You can't possibly think this is going to go well for you.”

“I guess you have no reason to back down from the challenge, then. First one to fall or break form loses.” Chloé walked over to a pew, hips swaying in confidence. She delicately took out an old church bulletin haphazardly stuffed into a pew rack, and ripped off the front two pages. She placed them down on the floor in the middle of the church isle, indicating she had found her spot for planking. 

Alix chose a pew across from her, forgoing the ripped bulletin. “You're on.”

Both girls put their hands on the floor, Alix's directly, Chloé's on top of paper, and lifted one leg to rest on their respective pews.

“On three,” Chloé started “one...two...three.”

They lifted their other legs to rest on the pews as well, putting all the force on their hands, arms, and cores.

They first found themselves relatively evenly matched. The first two minutes ticked by without a sign of weakness from either girl.

Silence once again overtook the church, save for the muted rumbling of thunder and rain. Chloé chanced a glance at her opponent, smiling at how her face resembled her hair, pink from exertion.

Seven minutes passed without a winner, though both girls' arms shook slightly. 

Her core was on fire, throbbing from the exercise, but Chloé remained determined to win the challenge and make Alix the fool.

Finally, after what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than a few extra minutes, Alix's back arched and she sagged to the ground in defeat, grumbling unintelligibly. 

Chloé dropped to the ground as well, scrambling to rest her back against the pew and taking a moment to breathe and smile wickedly.

“Who's the chicken now?” she teased.

“Not for long,” Alix hopped up from her spot on the floor. “Up for another round?”

“Ready to lose again?”

“Don't get cocky. We're tied,” Alix reminded her.

“Bring it on.”

Alix enthusiastically jumped onto a pew bench and then stepped up onto the backrest, balancing easily on the thin line of rounded wood.

She offered a hand out to Chloé who deliberately ignored it. 

“We're gonna race to the end of the nave by running on the backrests of pews”

“So...we're going to, like, hop from backrest to backrest?”

“Yep.”

“That's insane,” Chloé said, turning her nose up at the challenge. “Who has the balance for that?”

“Forfeiting means you're chicken.”

“Fine! I don't even know why you'd want to do this. You have way shorter legs than I do.” Chloé stepped onto the pew bench delicately before raising herself to stand precariously on the top of the backrest.

“You ready?” Alix called, already holding back laughter at how difficult this clearly would be for her opponent.

“As I'll ever be,” she muttered.

Alix counted them in and they sped off towards the altar.

Alix jumped with precision to each pew, shooting out along the backrests, not slowing down enough to make a mistake. Chloé moved slower, cautious with each step. She leapt off from one foot but let the other land before moving to the next jump, giving her a more stable base. 

Noting how far she had fallen behind, Chloé attempted to speed up and reclaim the lost distance. She took less care with her landings, focusing all her energy on moving forward.

As she was about to hop to the pew just behind Alix, her foot slid on the polished wood and she fell down to the ground, slamming her knee on the footrest.

She let out a small noise of shock, dumbfounded.

Alix continued to rocket to the crossing, her roller blading practice gifting her with speed and balance. Once she landed on the ground after jumping off the final pew with flare, she celebrated with a breathy shout and turned around to search for Chloé, her chest heaving.

When she noticed the blonde on the ground clutching her leg, she ran down the isle without thinking, fell to the ground in front of Chloé, and reached out.

“Are you okay? Did you fall? Did you break something?” she worried.

“Obviously, I fell,” Chloé said, bitter. “Just help me up.”

Alix stood up and pulled Chloé to her feet, concern vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. She watched silently as Chloé brushed herself clean of nonexistent dirt and knew the girl was fine.

“Hey Chloé,” she asked with a smirk. “What's for dinner?”

Chloé raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, her mouth a straight line, but made no move to respond verbally.

“I thought you might be feeling like chicken tonight.” 

Chloé smacked Alix on her arm in irritation and Alix howled with laughter, doubling over and clutching her stomach.

“God, your _face_ , Chloé.”

The blonde harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Whatever, next match, let's go.”

They spent the next hour challenging each other to anything they could think of. They did push-ups, stomachs still burning from their previous planks, until Chloé's arms collapsed beneath her. They held handstands against the wall until the blood rushing to their heads forced them to topple to the ground. They held splits until they felt they would snap in half, and lowered their bodies into backbends as slowly as possible, Alix cursing as she fell on her head. They even took places on opposite walls and ran at each other full force, assuming the other would chicken out and swerve to the side to avoid a collision. Instead, they rammed into each other, bodies colliding and limbs crumpling to the ground as they landed in a tangled mess.

Chloé was clearly put out by their predicament, eyebrows pulled down angrily over blazing eyes. She tried to twist her legs away, only resulting in the two knotting together tighter. 

Alix laughed at Chloé's struggle, leaning back on her forearms, relaxed.

Chloé stopped wiggling, accepting her new position with a huff.

“What do you suggest we do from here?” she asked, her tone biting.

“There's still one really popular challenge we haven't done.”

“Does it involve getting up? Because I already tried that.” Chloé shot Alix an emphatic look. “Maybe if you tried to help me instead of laughing like a maniac, we would be able to free ourselves.”

“We don't have to stand up for it.”

“Then let's hear it.”

“We lean in to kiss,” Chloé's eyes bugged out of her head. “and the first one to pull away is the chicken.”

There was a beat of silence and Chloé's cheeks flamed.

She pretended they were flamed in anger.

After taking a moment to collect her self, Chloé balked “God. Clearly this whole stunt was just a way for you to try and put the moves on me.”

“'This whole stunt'? Even you can't possibly be arrogant enough to believe I somehow orchestrated a storm, got us caught in it, got rid of both of our phones, and forced you to play Chicken.”

“Then why are you even suggesting it!”

“Because I know you'll say no. And that means you forfeit, and I win,” Alix finished with a devious smile.

Chloé paused, considering her options. She had worked too hard to prove herself to back down now. She could call Alix's bluff.

“Fine. Let's do this.”

Neither of them made a move to get closer to each other.

Alix was the first to break the tension. “Uh, we're going to have to get a little up close and personal, blondie.” Her tone was relaxed, but her stiff shoulders failed to conceal her nerves.

Chloé snorted. “Oh no, there is absolutely no way I'm scooting forward to you. These are _white_ pants.”

“They're probably already dirty,” Alix pointed out.

“Well, I'm not going to rub it in further.”

She rolled her eyes at how uptight Chloé always was. “Whatever.”

And with that, Alix closed the distance between them. She raised herself off of her forearms and pushed against the ground, sliding her body along the floor. Her knees bunched in front of her, bumping into Chloé's legs, and Chloé tried to curl them to the side to create more room. The two were still mildly entangled, but there was enough space between them for Alix to lean forward.

“We're going to both lean in, meeting halfway,” Alix said with a low voice, just barely dancing over a whisper. “ _If_ you don't chicken out, that is.”

“As if,” Chloé said, annoyed. “Who's to say you're not going to back down?”

“Have I ever backed down from a challenge?”

Chloé smirked. “You've never had a competitor like me.” 

“We'll see.”

Alix started moving first, leaning slowly towards their midpoint. Chloé followed the movement, edging forwards carefully. 

They pulled together, eyes blown wide, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. As the centimeters between them dwindled and warm breath hit their lips and chins, Alix felt her head automatically tilt in invitation. Chloé's followed, falling to the opposite side in a complimentary action.

Chloé's shoulders quivered in anxious anticipation, daring her to back down. She threw out thoughts of pulling away, and the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten lips that had dried in the cool atmosphere of the church.

Alix tilted her chin up slightly as Chloé tilted hers down, electric shocks traveling in the slowly decreasing space between their lips.

When Alix smelled the subtle hints of mint from Chloé's breath, she knew this challenge was about to take a wildly different turn than she had expected. And unintentionally, the corners of her mouth flicked up, making her unable to deny the warmth spreading steadily through her chest.

Chloé knew if she wanted to stop the kiss, she had to turn away now. Her lips were prickling from their close proximity, and the tiny white hairs on her arms stood straight up in warning. 

But, it suddenly dawned on her that she _wanted_ this. She was buzzing with restless energy  
at the mere _thought_ of their impending action. She found herself wondering what kind of kisser Alix was. Was she pushy and daring? Rough with a soft spot? Gentle and coaxing?

Their speed almost came to a standstill as less than a centimeter separated their mouths. Any slight movement would send them spiraling into the land of no return, and each girl watched carefully for any sign of hesitance from the other. 

When none was found, breaths hitched, eyes tumbled shut, and the light press of apprehensive lips shocked the world.

There were a few milliseconds without any movement until Alix pushed herself along the ground, further integrating her body into Chloé's space, head tilting ever so slightly to deepen the kiss.

At the unexpected movement, Chloé's hand shot up automatically and clasped Alix's shoulder. Unsure what she was doing, her hand hesitated before pulling Alix in closer against her body, effectively dragging the small girl onto her lap.

Alix smirked into the kiss, fascinated by Chloé's sudden neediness, and positioned herself more comfortably. She maneuvered around, lips lessening in pressure against the blonde's, but never fully breaking contact, and laid her knees on either side of Chloé's thighs.

She used the new position to raise herself, tilting Chloé's head back, and putting Alix in control of the kiss. A hand snuck up to Chloé's neck and gently stroked through the soft baby hairs freely hovering in the air.

Alix parted her lips slightly, but didn't wait for Chloé to take the hint. Instead, she let her tongue flick out along Chloé's lips, before retreating back inside her mouth in a “ding-dong-ditch” game.

Chloé's lips parted when she felt the new texture against her mouth, and she huffed her disappointment when it left her unsatisfied.

Alix pulled away, breaking the kiss, but a low “Oh no you don't” from Chloé had her smothering a laugh against the pair of lips again almost immediately.

This kiss was deeper and harder. Chloé parted her lips at first firm touch, and sent her tongue out to trace along the seam of Alix's. When the pink-haired girl subtly refused to open her mouth, Chloé relegated herself to other methods of enticement. 

She broke their lips apart and placed small, soft kisses along the corner of Alix's mouth and down her chin. She lightly ran her nose up along Alix's jaw, before kissing back down it, nipping lightly every few touches. The hand on Alix's shoulder squeezed faintly, then snaked its way into her hair, tugging on her side ponytail to tilt her head, offering her neck to Chloé's teasing.

She placed delicate kisses along the skin to start, barely putting any pressure behind them, only a ghosting of lips. She gradually deepened the kisses, even sucking slightly, earning a breathy groan from the girl she was slowly wrecking.

She placed hot, open-mouthed kisses all along Alix's neck, taking moments to carefully graze teeth on unsuspecting patches of skin. She went down to the girl's collarbone, nipping softly, before noticing how ragged Alix's breathing had become.

She flew back up to Alix's lips, pressing them together, and this time Alix opened her mouth in need. Chloé took Alix's bottom lip in between her teeth, biting down gently before finally letting her tongue slip into Alix's mouth.

The new sensation of mouths sliding together pulled low groans from the backs of their throats, muted  
only by tangled lips and tongues.

Alix lowered herself and slid farther into Chloé's lap, knees bracing on either side of the blonde's hips, bodies pressing together. The change in heights had the girls battling for dominance, heads tilting to different angles, breathy moans scattering out along the silent church. Chloé's hands fell down and gripped Alix's hips, trying to pull her even closer, while Alix rested one hand on Chloé's shoulder and the other rubbed circles on her neck, keeping constant pressure in their kissing.

They moved in tandem, hands roaming and chests heaving until their passionate disregard for the outside forces of nature had them falling to the side, once again landing in a heap of limbs.

They broke apart at the falling sensation, and when they hit the ground, both girls rolled onto their backs, clutching their shoulders from where they had landed.

They let a comfortable silence fill the air, the only noise coming from their crazy breathing and gentle movements into more comfortable positions on the floor. They let their heart rates slow, and felt a slow bubble of unease encompass them, demanding to know what just happened.

“I...don't know what that was,” Chloé broke the quiet.

Alix let her head loll to the side so she could look at the blonde lying next to her. “I think it's pretty obvious what that was.”

Chloé made an unintelligible noise in the back of her throat and dropped her head to the side to meet Alix's eyes, pupils blown wide. “What are we going to do about it?”

Alix laughed under her breath. “Well, I think it's safe to say neither of us lost that round.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chloé asked, miffed. “Was this all about that stupid game to you?”

Alix bristled, shifting her body so she was raised on her forearms, looking down at Chloé. “No. It wasn't.”

Chloé laughed humorlessly. “Then what are we going to do?”

“Whatever we want to do. It's not like there's some rule saying something _has_ to happen.” 

Chloé's lips flicked down.

“But, something could happen. If we wanted it too,” Alix was quick to add, trying to force her cheeks to belie her embarrassment. “Do you...want something to happen?” she asked gently.

“That felt...amazing. And if there's one thing I am not in the business of, it's denying myself amazing things.”

Alix groaned. “You need to just give me a straight yes or no.”

“I don't know!”

“You're a lot more indecisive than I thought you were.”

Chloé turned her head away, annoyed at Alix's presumptions. “It's not like you really knew me all that well to begin with.”

Alix tapped a finger to her chin. She supposed that was true, thinking back on all the times she had written Chloé off as a spoiled princess, incapable of being denied anything she wanted. Those memories no longer felt justified. Chloé proved to be more complex than Alix had ever thought, and she felt a deep pang in her gut for not noticing until now how her confidence was only used to shield her uncertainty. 

Alix didn't know a lot about Chloé Bourgeois. But she couldn't deny her newfound urge to learn.

“Maybe we should change that.”

Chloé sat up and a genuine smile brightened her face for the first time Alix could recall. Alix stood up, holding out a hand to pull Chloé to her feet. They walked to the doors and peered out into the dark night. The rain had dwindled, only a soft plinking against the puddles that coated the ground, and no thunder forced them back inside the safety of Notre Dame.

Alix took the first step out into the cold air and almost missed Chloé's soft words behind her.

“Yeah, maybe we should.”

**Author's Note:**

> (I have been to Notre Dame and la Sainte-Chapelle so I am very aware of how far my artistic license was stretched for this fic...sorry) 
> 
> I finished writing and editing this while having a flare up of a medical condition so there may be some stuff that I didn't catch and need to fix! I'll look back on it later, probably.
> 
> For more content, check me out as [jattendschaton](http://jattendschaton.tumblr.com) on tumblr! I mostly just gush about miraculous, but I'm sure we'll have a good time together :)


End file.
